


five times liz asked macey about boys (and one time she didn't)

by musicals_musicals



Category: Gallagher Girls Series - Ally Carter
Genre: 5+1 Things, Canon Compliant, Coming Out, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Macey McHenry is a Lesbian, Road Trips, Roommates, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, and there was only one bed :0, does it count as a road trip if youre on the run from corrupt gov organizations, except gay, general hand waving in the direction of spy school logistics, liz: i just want to live with my best friend and a cat but im totally still straight, no i do not take criticism ally carter was wrong, some light car theft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25946239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicals_musicals/pseuds/musicals_musicals
Summary: The thing is, Liz deals in facts.And when it comes to boys, Macey McHenry is the best source
Relationships: Abigail Cameron/Edward Townsend, Elizabeth Sutton & Macey McHenry, Josh Abrams/Cameron Morgan, Macey McHenry/Elizabeth Sutton, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Zachary Goode/Cameron Morgan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	five times liz asked macey about boys (and one time she didn't)

**Author's Note:**

> literally no one saw this coming including me yet here we are. i re read the whole series a few weeks ago as a part of my read childhood favorites during quarantine series (don't re read divergent,,,, just don't do it) and this fic popped into existence at 7k words demolishing my previous 3.7k word record for a one shot.

1.

Macey had disappeared after dinner (again), so Liz was going to find her. She left Bex and Cammie in the bedroom to argue over Cammie’s newest plan to sneak out and see Josh, and began her search. Luckily Macey had only been at Gallagher for a month or so and wasn’t a big fan of the secret passageways (because dirt and spiders and cold drafts are only appealing to Cammie). So Liz ignored the passageways and instead walked through the entryway, glanced in the empty classrooms before landing in the library. 

Midterms had happened the week before so the library was basically empty, no last minute studying necessary when you won’t have a test for another week or two. Liz followed the only light to one of the back corners. Macey was tucked into one of the window alcoves with only a lamp, papers and textbooks spread out around her.

She looked beautiful. The way the light was glinting off her dark hair left gold lines, encircling her head like a crown, she was tapping a pen against her lips, occasionally humming and writing something on the textbook to her left, she was still wearing her uniform except her tie was loose and shirt unbuttoned, showing off a glimpse of her flawless skin, and one of her socks had fallen down to her shoe leaving them uneven.

For the record Liz was totally staring because she was jealous. Only Macey McHenry could look perfect while studying in the library.

Macey reached the end of the textbook, smiling victoriously (Liz would’ve sworn she could see light beaming from her smile) and looked up, her smile turning to a look of confusion “Liz? What are you doing here?”

 _Totally not admiring the way the lamplight looks like stars in the blue of your eyes_. “I had a question!” Liz looked around the dark library in a panic as if a question would pop into existence “So you know Josh! Uh, Cammie’s secret boyfriend who lives in Roseville and she met on a CoveOps mission while out of uniform so she said she was homeschool and–”

“I’m familiar” Macey interrupted, giving Liz a very solid _get to the point_ look.

“So uh– we found out one of the Roseville girls likes him! So I was wondering if you thought he liked her? Because we found a note and–” Liz trailed off, she considered herself an intelligent person but her brain seemed to be taking an inconveniently timed vacation.

“I saw the note, it’s probably just a childhood friend who’s crushing on him even though he still can’t think of them as anything other than friends. I really don’t think it's a big deal” Macey shrugged and turned away to dig through some papers next to her in a clear _end of conversation_ signal.

Liz had never been great with signals. “So what are you studying?” Liz tentatively took a seat on the edge of the alcove as far from Macey as possible.

“It would be easier to ask what am I not studying” Macey groaned, gesturing to the piles of textbooks “I have an essay for culture and assimilation that I need to ace if I want to have any chance of moving up to 8th grade material, I have to study so I don’t make a fool of myself in the labs on Tuesday as elements are not my strong suit, I’m trying to do 2 years worth of math classes in one, and I’m learning 3 new languages”

“I thought the headmistress said you didn’t have to complete all the language credits because you are already fluent in 3?” It was the first thing she thought of, Headmistress Morgan’s words still fresh in her mind.

“She did, but I don’t want to take short cuts, I’m going to study, and by senior year I want to be able to take CoveOps without being behind” Macey declared, determination clear in her expression.

“Do you want help studying?” Liz offered, she picked up the closest textbook and flipped through a few chapters “I’m the only reason Cammie and Bex passed science in 8th grade”

“You would do that?”

“Of course! I’m happy to help with all studying endeavors. If you give me the unit I have all of my flashcards organized by year” Liz offered, there was a reason she had a mini file cabinet under her bed.

Macey’s jaw dropped and she blinked a few times before shaking her head “That would be amazing”

“Cool! We could do like, study dates it would be so fun” Spending a few afternoons a week in the library (or their dorm room) with Macey would be wonderful, Liz could sit and read or do homework and help Macey when necessary, it would hopefully make her feel more at home and welcome. “Also if you're determined to catch up you should come to my study meetings with Bex and Cam we could maybe teach you the basics of some of the real 10th grade material”

“Are you sure Bex and Cammie would want me there?” Macey muttered, breaking eye contact to flip through her notes “They don’t seem to like me”

“Bex and Cammie are just a bit– well prickly” Liz had been living with them for 3 years and it was obvious neither of them were big on change. They were too busy holding a grudge against Macey for stealing the bean bag corner to actually try to reach out. Sure Macey could be a bit aggressive but so is Bex, and she hadn’t insulted Liz’s hair at all this week so she was probably warming up to them “I’m sure they will warm up and for now I’ll just force them”

Macey squinted at Liz “You’re totally the brain of that–” Macey gestured in the relative direction of their dorm room “operation. Like Bex thinks she in charge, but it’s actually you”

Liz wouldn’t exactly put it that way, after all Bex and Cammie spent plenty of time ignoring Liz’s (perfectly logical) ideas, but when it came down to it they were very susceptible to advice, especially if they thought it was their idea. “Do you want the help or not?”

“Yes please” Macey moved so she was sitting right next to Liz and the textbook was over both of their laps. Liz ignored the feeling of light that bloomed in her chest (the library was cold and she was just enjoying the warmth that came with sitting next to someone and she had won Macey over to at least try to be friends). She pulled her eyes away from Macey and skimmed through the open page to find her place in the book before launching into an explanation.

\-------

**2.**

Liz might be the clumsiest person to walk the halls of Gallagher academy, but she is still a Gallagher girl and as such can still throw a punch. Sure she isn't like Bex who finds comfort in the P+E barn, who finds comfort in the sound and feel of a punching bag, but she still likes the P+E barn.

Sure, Liz finds her comfort in her computer, in walls of code, in familiar elemental reactions in the lab. Except the labs can be fickle, code can be frustrating. When it feels like Liz is facing an impenetrable fortress she goes to the P+E barn and hits things until either a solution pops into existence, or her overactive brain shuts down and she can take a break until something new comes to her.

She darted out the front door, avoiding any teacher (it wasn’t _technically_ against the rule to go to the P+E barn at night, but it was still best not to get caught). She jogged across the field and ducked into he barn which was mostly dark. As Liz got closer to the back where the punching bags were kept, she began to hear the thudding and grunting of someone working on a bag. The area was bathed in warmth from the single light that was turned on, with Macey at the center looking like a force of nature as she wailed on the bag.

Macey nodded at Liz as she passed to sit at the bench and wrap her hands in the familiar motions.

_Up. Down. Around. Cross. Cross. Down._

By the time Liz had tied off the wrap and was standing in front of the bag she was already feeling better. She took her stance in front of the bag, shifting her weight and taking a deep breath before striking, hitting dead center of the bag with enough force to make it swing. She went straight into a combination, the familiar patterns falling into place.

Liz hit the bag especially hard on her next pass and across the room Macey paused “Anything you want to talk about?”

“How do you know if a boy likes you?” The words fell out of Liz’s mouth. It wasn’t exactly what was bothering her, but it was the closest she was willing to get “It’s just Jonas asked me if I was going to the dance, and he keeps talking to me whenever I see him, and he always asks to be my lab partner and–” Liz gestured vaguely as if that would help convey the point before punching the bag again.

“Liz,” Macey leaned against the bag, steadying it when Liz’s next kick made it swing. “He asked you to the dance! It’s obvious he likes you, but–” Macey gave Liz a look “That isn’t what's actually bothering you”

Liz paused mid punch. Despite her late start Macey McHenry was easily one of the most perceptive students at Gallagher academy, especially when it came to reading people. 

She rested her head on the cool fabric of the bag before speaking “How do I know if I like him?” The words were quiet, the question had been bouncing around her mind for days. The fact that she didn't know something about herself leading to long nights in the lab, afternoons spent reading every book she could find that might help her find the answer.

“I see” Macey pulled Liz away from the bag and onto the floor sitting cross legged across from her and holding Liz’s hands in her own “It depends on the person, but in my experience you want to spend as much time as possible with them, you want to make them laugh, see them smile, you want to help them when they get stuck, you worry when they get hurt, you want to talk to them until everything else falls away”

“That makes sense,” Liz tried to attach Macey’s words with how she felt about Jonas but it just… wasn’t there. Sure she liked spending time with him, he was smart and a good partner in the lab, but she didn’t really think about him like that.

For some reason Liz thought about Macey, about the way Liz always went to find Macey when she had free time, the way it felt to sit in the library with Macey, the way Macey’s eyes light up when she smiles, the way Liz felt at peace right now, sitting next to Macey on the floor in the P+E barn... It was probably nothing.

\------

3.

"You don’t think the boys are actually behind this, right?” Liz asked. She had been bouncing the words around in her head since Cammie first raised the alarm. They were running down the road that led to school, after they had warned the other girls and everyone had gone running back to school, they did a final sweep of roseville and were going to be the last people backR

“Honestly,” Macey was breathing heavily, but she powered through the sentence, keeping pace with Liz “I don’t know what to believe”

It all just seemed so weird. One minute Cammie was on a date with Zach and they were running surveillance, next thing they knew Cammie was yelling about a tail and all of the blackthorn boys being liars. “Maybe this is a test?”

They finally reached the gate and stopped. Macey pointed to the school, metal shutters closed tightly and red lights flashing “Code black doesn’t really scream _test_ ”

Liz stared at the school, she had been planning to grab her laptop inside so she could check the trackers, but that clearly wasn’t happening, she would have to make due with her phone even if the screen was tiny. She blatantly realized that Macey had started walking again, except she was going in the opposite direction from the school “Where are you going?"

Macey spun around so she was walking backwards and pointed to the parking lot behind her "I'm going to steal a car"

\-----

"Are you sure you know how to do this?" Liz asked for the third time. She had been sitting in the passenger seat _forever_. They were in the middle of an emergency and she could only spend so much time setting up her trackers, considering she just had to set up the connection to her computer. They had managed to find a van that wasn't locked by some miracle so there were no broken windows and Macey had immediately torn out the underside to let the wires dangle and begun cutting and twisting them together.

Macey was laying on her back, head under the steering wheel with her feet out the car door, she was wearing the pair of safety glasses that Liz found in the glovebox (a standard issue for all Gallagher vans). Occasionally swearing when sparks got a little too close to her face.

She moved out from under the steering wheel, far enough to glare at Liz when she spoke. The wires were all dangling around her face and her hair was tied up into a messy ponytail that was spread out behind her head "I've got it"

“Fine,” Macey went back to work while Liz busied herself by opening the middle compartment, she picked up a few papers and forms, and a few cd’s that she sorted through before dropping them in the glovebox. She reached the bottom of the compartment littered with change and– “Hey, Macey”

“What, Liz? I’m a little busy” Macey muttered, something sparked and the headlights flickered a little before going out, along with the light that was supposed to be turned on when the door was open.

“What would you say if I had a key?” Liz asked, pulling the small keychain out of the compartment, and with it a shining car key with a brand that matched that of the van.

“I would ask when you had time to pickpocket a highly trained security guard” More sparking, the radio flickered on and off, and the door light came back to life.

“What if there was a spare key?”

“You’re telling me, that an ex spy, who now works as a guard at a spy school, left a spare key in an unlocked- HA” The engine sputtered to life and Macey sat up, grinning at Liz who held up the spare key, dangling on a small star keychain. Macey’s victorious expression fell as she looked between the key and the steering wheel “You have got to be kidding me”

“It was in there,” Liz grinned, gesturing to the open compartment. Macey glared at Liz for a few seconds before breaking into laughter, Liz quickly followed. It was nice to laugh, maybe it was the impending emergency but Liz hadn’t laughed that hard in forever, and she was sure Macey would agree, judging by the tears leaking out of her eyes.

“I cannot believe–” Macey took a few deep breaths until her laughter was under control “I cannot believe, I almost set my hair on fire when there was a key in the car”

“Only the best security here at Gallagher Academy” Liz offered. Considering Cammie knew at least 8 different ways to get out of the school and 6 to get in at any given time, it probably wasn’t shocking that other aspects were lacking.

“No kidding” Macey snorted, she shifted gears and looked around “So where to?”

Liz paused, the building was in code black but it almost looked like there were people coming out of the school “Is that–”

“–Everyone else?” Macey finished, watching the shadowy figures that crept out of the passageway. “Good thing we have a ride”

  
\--------

4.

Liz believes in being prepared. Whether it's a test, or a challenge or just life, Liz always wants to be prepared. Which is why, when Macey walks into their study session and immediately says _I think we should pack up your van with essentials for when we need to run_ Liz agrees and they meet the next morning (luckily a Saturday) to pack.

“I found Bex and Cammie’s panic bags– or well Cammie’s new panic bag” The _Because she already used her old one_ goes unsaid, but Liz buries it in more facts “And I dug up some comms and any computers that I might need, along with a portable charger that can charge through the car in case we can’t stop”

Macey holds up two grocery bags from the covert run into town she did that morning “I got non perishable food, enough to last 8 days without Zach, 7 with because who knows what will be up with that” Macey tossed the bags into the trunk and began emptying her pockets “And here are 6 credit cards, they should be untraceable except maybe these two–” Macey held up a green card and a purple card “–because I have a feeling it might be possible to link them to Gallagher, but I figured we might as well grab them, and I took out a few thousand in cash from one of my cards for ‘a new dress’ along with some cash from the school”

“We should probably stash those at different parts of the car so that we can’t lose all of them at once” Liz reminded, all it took was getting rear ended once in the wrong spot, or leaving the wrong window open, and they could potentially lose anything in the surrounding area.

“I suppose you have fancy hiding places in your fancy car?” Macey asked, her tone light and teasing as she dropped the cards and cash into Liz’s hands.

“Of course,” Liz pressed on the ceiling of the trunk and a small compartment lowered (Macey looked impressed which was definitely a win) Liz stuffed 2 of the credit cards and 200 bucks in, then pushed it back into the ceiling where it disappeared without a trace “Did you get my gummy worms?”

“I still don’t see how gummy worms are essential” Macey muttered, reaching into her pocket.

“Thank you!” Liz held out her hands and Macey dropped the two bags of gummy worms into them “Stressful situations are 18% less stressful with gummy worms”

Macey stared at her for a few seconds, then shrugged in resignation “Sure, why not”

Let it be known that Liz absolutely did not lean closer when Macey sat next to her on the edge of the trunk, and she did not jump when Macey’s arm brushed against her own, and she absolutely did not feel all warm and gooey when Macey smiled at her and moved a blonde curl out of her face while muttering about not brushing her hair enough. Because she totally doesn’t like Macey McHenry. That is not a thing because Liz is not gay so it can’t be a thing. It is not possible. Sure Liz has never really had a _real_ crush on a boy (as saying she had a crush on a boy on the playground in kindergarten then chasing him while her friends chased the boys they said they had crushes on didn’t count) but she just hasn’t met the right person what with the whole all girls school thing. Until she does she is perfectly content to hang out with Macey and her computers and maybe a cat. “So what’s going on with you and Preston?” Liz asked breaking the silence and cutting off her train of thought before it could continue.

“Preston Winters?” Macey stared at Liz as if she had grown a second head “We’re friends, I guess. We kept each other sane on the campaign trail”

“Oh, Cam mentioned something– you liked him and he liked you”

Macey laughed “Yeah Cammie can be pretty oblivious” She stopped laughing and eyed Liz, who's confusion was clear on her face “Wait you actually thought– Liz you know I’m gay right?”

 _What_. Liz was half expecting metal sheets to drop over the doors because her brain felt like it was going full CODE BLACK. Macey is gay, all the puzzle pieces fell into place and Liz’s picture of Macey McHenry was a lot clearer. “I had no idea” The words were quiet but Macey heard her (Macey always heard her).

“Is it a problem?” Macey asked, the teasing playful tone was gone and she had moved away so they were no longer touching.

“No! I’m just surprised” Liz paused, staring intently at a daisy that was growing in the field. Why did it matter if Macey was gay? It didn’t change anything, they were still best friends, and Liz was still straight. Macey still looked hesitant and Liz scrambled for something to say “I’m glad you told me?” Her voice picked up at the end making it into more of a question than a statement. Macey visibly relaxed, her shoulders falling, and hard look fading to something closer to the awkward(semi-uncomfortable)ness that was reflected on Liz’s face. She held up the wallet that Macey handed her earlier “I’m going to go–uh hide the rest of this”

“I’ll finish unpacking” Macey offered, plastic bags still bunched around her feet.

Liz walked around the side of the car and went to work stuffing cards and cash into compartments on all the doors, in each box hidden under a seat, and the small compartment she built behind the radio. 

After hiding the last of the money Liz sat in the driver's seat, resolutely **not** staring at Macey in the rear view mirror. Why did Macey being gay make her feel so weird? It’s not like it actually changed anything, they were still the same people they had been 10 minutes ago. Liz glanced in the rearview mirror and watched Macey climb out of the trunk and nod successfully. She bent over and when she came back into view she was balling up the bags that the supplies had been in. _She looks beautiful_.

\------

5.

"Have you noticed–"

“That Zach looks exactly like Townstead just 20 years younger?” Macey interrupted, dropping her bag on the bed “Yes, it’s uncanny”

Liz spun around in the desk chair that she had claimed as soon as Preston showed her to the room. She had lost her train of thought when Macey interrupted her mentally rehearsed speech (It was a long day) so she settled with– “I didn’t think anyone else noticed”

“I mean Abby is way too biased, what with whatever courting slash fighting dance she’s doing with Townstead, Bex was busy yelling at Cam, and Cam–” Macey sighed, flopping on the bed. Everyone had been so tired ever since Cam got back. “Well Cammie doesn’t notice a lot of things now”

The words hung in the air for a minute, all the things that were left unsaid. Things about Cammie’s condition and her absent mind. Things that even Liz didn’t talk about.

“–and Preston isn’t trained like us,” Liz finished “Do you think Zach or Townstead noticed?”

Macey snorted “If either of them noticed I was give up my right hand” She sat on the bed, already anticipating Liz’s next question “They’ve already labeled themselves as ‘other’ in their minds the other person is separate, they barely even believe they are on the same team, much less family. It’s a guy thing”

Liz tapped her pencil on the desk “Should we like, tell someone?” She found it unlikely people would believe them without evidence which would distract from the mission.

Macey considered it for a second, likely going over the same facts Liz did, before shaking her head “Nah, they’ll figure it out eventually”

Liz’s mind moved onto the next most relevant piece of information. Macey and her bag were in Liz’s room. In a building with 47 bedrooms “Are you staying in here?”

“If that’s okay with you?” Macey asked. She sat up, uncharacteristically timid.

Liz couldn’t imagine a world in which she would say no, after all, they shared all school year and as long as someone was willing to put up with Liz’s late night owl habits “Of course! But I thought Preston was going to give you a room?”

Macey was silent for long enough that Liz found herself running through the sentence to make sure nothing was wrong.

“Preston did show me to a room” Macey tangled her hands in the bedspread “But it was so big and quiet, reminded me of living with my parents. It was too quiet”

In an instant all the pieces snapped together. The bags under Macey’s eyes whenever they returned from break, the way Macey never slept when she was alone no matter how late Liz got back from the lab on days when Cammie and Bex had CoveOps, leaving Liz with a clear fact. Macey doesn’t like quiet.

Liz couldn’t imagine what it must be like to live in total silence. After all, during the school year she was surrounded by students, then in the dorm she had Cammie, Bex (who snores), and later Macey. Then on break it was never quite, what with her sister and parents clanking around in their small house “I would love it if you stayed here”

PROS AND CONS TO SHARING A ROOM WITH MACEY MCHENRY YOUR FRIEND/(MAYBE) CRUSH

(by Elizabeth Sutton)

PRO: It’s way easier to set up your computers with 2 people

CON: You officially forfeit most of your closet

PRO: You don’t really need a closet when you only brought 3 outfits

CON: The granola bars you packed get eaten twice as fast

PRO: Macey’s no fear attitude extends to asking about room service in the US Embassy

CON: Macey doesn’t let you sacrifice sleep to research neurology and watch the bank simulation you’re running

PRO: It’s probably a good thing to sleep as tomorrow is going to be brutal

CON: The room you were assigned only has one bed and you have a probably crush on Macey

PRO: You get to sleep next to Macey?

???: You have to share the bed

By the time Liz emerges from the bathroom after her shower Macey is already in bed. Her dark hair is tied up into a braid and she’s flipping through the culture and assimilation textbook.

Liz carefully slides into the other side of the bed, careful not to bump Macey. Except coordination has never been Liz’s strong suit. Her foot catches on the edge of the bed and within seconds Liz is nearly on top of Macey who had caught her within inches of their heads crashing together

“Well it's a good thing someone here is a trained spy” Macey grinned and pushed Liz back to the other side of the bed.

“Thanks Mace” Lix sat against the headboard and began separating her hair into 2 braids (Every Gallagher girl knows that tangled hair can impede a speedy morning get away).

Macey picked up the text book that had fallen when Liz fell and closed it before setting it on the nightstand “Thanks for letting me stay. Goodnight” Macey’s light clicked off and Liz tied off her second braid before turning off her own light.

“Goodnight” As Liz laid in the dark she was hyper aware of Macey, her slow breaths, the warmth limiting from her side of the bed, and the tension on the blanket when she turned over. It was going to be a long night.

\------

+1.

Liz was the second person to take a turn driving and as such was asleep when they finally stopped. She woke up to find Macey hovering over her and shaking her shoulder.

“Liz, wake up” Macey said, pulling away as soon as Liz sat up.

“I thought we weren’t stopping?” After all they had four drivers (5 if you count Bex, but unless you want to wake up to the lights of oncoming traffic Bex isn’t allowed to drive) as long as they took turns sleeping they could keep driving for another few days before running out of supplies.

“Well fuck that, I want a shower and this is about as off the grid as we can get” Macey explained. She helped Liz out of the car and handed her one of her bags from the trunk, Macey took the others and they made their way into the mansion (because it was a mansion not a house).

They stepped inside, the furniture was covered in sheets and dust was floating through the air from where someone had uncovered the couch “How much of a risk is it if we open the windows?”

“Too high, someone could hear us” Bex interrupted, she took the bags from Liz and Macey leaving them with Liz’s computers “I’ll put these in your room while you set up”

“Thanks Bex” Maybe she could at least find a few fans to set up and point a few out the door. Liz opened her computer case to begin setting up and Macey instantly grabbed cords to plug in before Liz could ask, leaving her with a pleasant warm feeling which she watched Macey plug things in, following the instructions that Liz gave her months ago.

\--------

Liz was not going to stay up all night long before staging a breakout from the highest security prison in the world, because that would be stupid. But if say, she happens to wake up at 2am and checks on her computers that are still searching for the next step of world war 3, that isn’t staying up all night, it’s just a brief period of being awake. Like a reverse nap.

“You shouldn’t be awake” Macey muttered, taking a seat on the chair next to her. 

Liz jumped, she could’ve sworn she was alone just a second ago, Macey came out of nowhere. “I slept” Liz defended, she glanced at the clock and– Oh shit, when did it become 4am?

“You slept for 5 hours” Macey pointed out, her math clearly based on when Liz first got out of bed and not the current time.

It seems Liz’s escape from the room was not as soundless as she thought, but if Macey was awake when she left the room “Why didn’t you stop me?”

“Because I was half asleep, dumbass” Macey shoved Liz’s shoulder just enough to shake her hand away from the mouse, but not enough to knock her off the chair “As soon as you tripped your way out the door I fell back asleep”

“I did not trip!” Liz attempted to elbow Macey in response, but the other girl evaded her and raised her eyebrows “It was at most a stumble”

“Sure it was” Macey held eye contact for a few more seconds before pulling away to look at the computer screen “Have you at least figured something out?”

“We are not any closer to world war 3 if that's what you’re asking” Liz sighed. Something was going to happen soon though, she was sure of it.

“Hmm,” Macey didn’t ask how Liz knew it was her test which she appreciated, everyone else kept asking over and over again, as if she would wake up and say _Nevermind! No more WW3!_ “Do you want tea?”

“What?”

“I want tea, so I’m going to make tea. Do you want any?” Macey repeated, gesturing to the electric kettle that sat next to the stove.

“Yes please” Liz stood up from her computers and walked away (something that had seemed impossible before, but was so easy when she was following Macey). She leaned against the kitchen table and watched Macey make tea. 

It was almost... domestic. 

Macey filled the kettle and turned it on, the low rumbling noises filling the space, and started opening cupboards until she found one with a box of tea bags (peppermint), then she walked back to the first cupboard she had opened to pull out a couple mugs. Liz could see them doing this in another place, a kitchen where Macey could make tea while Liz sat on the table, they would talk about how their day went without the threat of war looming on the horizon.

This wasn’t the first time Liz’s mind had wandered in this direction. As the end of the school year got closer and closer (and with it the end of the world) Liz thought more and more about what life would be like after, and in every possible route on this was consistent: she wanted Macey there. Because Macey was her person. Macey made her laugh and smile, Macey was the one she thought about when her mind wandered, Macey listened to her ramble and talk about her new ideas, Macey made her feel warm and happy. _Oh._

“Hey Macey, could I ask you a question?” Maybe it was time to be brave.

“It’s not about boys, right?” Macey rolled her eyes “Because I’ve answered a lot of questions about boys in the last 3 years and I think I deserve a break”

“Not exactly” _In fact it’s the exact opposite_. It was her last chance to bail, pretend this had all been a dream and continue living a straight existence. It was in no way the most logical solution, but it was safe, no chance or rejection. Except Liz has always chosen the logical answer. “So I know we're like on the run and all that, but what with the whole _accidentally helped start world war three_ _thing_ it kind of feels like my life is imploding and I need to tell you that I really like you and I think I have for a while because you’re amazing and smart and– I think I’m going to stop talking now and go back to bed because you aren’t saying anything and I don’t want to mess up our friendship so feel free to pretend this never happened”

“I–” Macey stared at Liz, not even noticing when the kettle switched off. If it were any other topic Liz would laugh about the fact that she actually managed to shock Macey into silence, but as it was she could only sit and wait, watching the train of emotions go across Macey’s face. “That would be– uh that would be great, I would really like that”

“Really?” Liz hadn’t really expected Macey to say yes, after all why would she want to date Liz (who was going to go down in history, or classified history, as the person responsible for starting world war three) of all people when she was amazing enough to get anyone she wanted. Okay, this was information, Liz could work with information. First off: they need a date location. “We could get coffee?” Liz asked, before immediately rethinking “Wait, no. That’s not really covert considering we’re technically fugitives uh–” She tapped her hand nervously on the table “–maybe sitting out in the open in a coffee shop isn’t the best idea. Should I assume this date is happening after we’ve cleared our names? Because that might be a while, but it's hard to plan a date while you’re on the run and breaking into a high security prison–”

“Liz,” Macey looked incredibly unimpressed. _Crap, what if she doesn’t want to date me anymore._ “I don’t think we have to worry about that right now. I was thinking…” Macey broke eye contact and stepped forward, taking a deep breath before looking up and grabbing the front of Liz’s shirt to pull her closer. Liz could feel Macey’s breaths on her face, and “We could kiss instead?”

Oh- uh yes! That sounds uh– yes please” Macey grinned and leaned forward the final few inches, tentatively brushing against Liz’s mouth. Liz couldn’t help herself from smiling into the kiss, all of her senses overwhelmed by Macey, the smell of her conditioner (mixed with a fair amount of dust), her hands, holding Liz’s shoulders, rubbing small circles with her thumbs, her slightly chapped lips, breath tasting of the toothpaste they found in one of the bathrooms. It was perfect.

\-------

Bonus:

Even after 4 years at Gallagher academy El still has trouble sleeping, which is why she finds herself roaming the halls at 3am, ducking through secret passages in order to avoid any oncoming footsteps. That is also why she’s the only person to see the helicopter that hovers right outside the window and lands in front of the school.

El covers her ears, waiting for the inevitable code red alarm to go off, ugh everyone is going to be so cranky tomorrow and the culture and assimilation pop quiz is going to be hell if everyone is low on sleep. She watches the sword, waiting for it to sink into its impenetrable vault. Except nothing happens.

El removes her hands from her ears just in time to hear the footsteps coming from the hall behind her. She ducks into a window alcove, pulling the curtains shut and slowing her breathing. The footsteps pass by her hiding spot but she doesn’t look out until they start moving down the stairs. She sees short blonde curls bouncing down the stairs. Evidence #2 that whoever is in that helicopter isn’t a threat: Ms. Sutton is the one greeting them.

The front door opens below and El catches a glimpse of dark hair and blue eyes. Holy shit, that’s Macey McHenry. The only student in Gallagher history to start school 3 years late, and still graduate on time, with honors and a job offer for the secret service. Though most of her work was classified El knew she had protected presidents, queens, prime ministers; anyone likely to be targeted by an assassination attempt, Macey McHenry had been there and stopped it. 

Ms. Sutton jumped the final few stairs and threw herself into Macey (Ms. McHenry?) who didn’t even stumble, just picked up Ms. Sutton and spun her around. She put Ms. Sutton down but didn’t step away, next to Ms. Sutton’s 5 foot 3 and a half (for CoveOps last year El’s class was instructed to catalogue the height of every staff member without their knowledge. Ms. Sutton had been first on the list, thanks to her habit of standing against the door frame while she greeted her class) Macey appeared to be nearly 6 feet tall, though that might have to do with the blue heels she was wearing.

“You’re done?” El leaned out of the alcove a little to pick up Ms. Sutton’s voice as it echoed through the hall.

“I’m all yours for the next 3 months” Macey confirmed. Ms. Sutton jumped up and down, laughing, before pulling Macey into a kiss.

El blatantly realized that she had stumbled into a private moment with no escape route. _Ms. Sutton is dating MACEY MCHENRY?_ She considered darting down the hallway, but before she could make any form of retreat, Ms. Sutton and Macey started for the stairs and El ducked her head in, pressing her back against the window pane.

“You’re early though, the school year isn’t over yet” Ms. Sutton reminded “What do you plan to do for the next two weeks”

“Oh you know hang out, I might help Joe with CoveOps finals, maybe fight some eleventh graders for P+E, and of course be your lab assistant” El caught a glimpse of the two women as Macey reached over and took Ms. Sutton’s hand.

“Mace you hate lab” Ms. Sutton laughed

“That’s why I’ll be your assistant. I can hand you things, and look hot. What more do you want?” _Holy shit Macey McHenry might hang out in Ms. Sutton’s lab_.

“I’m sure the students will love that. Hello, class this is Macey McHenry, spy extraordinaire, she is going to hand me beakers” El could confirm that the class would in fact love that.

“And look hot. That’s important” The footsteps stopped and oh they were probably kissing, cute and maybe kind of gross.

“Why Ms. McHenry, getting a little handsy in the hallway?” NOPE DEFINITELY GROSS.

“You know me, always a rebel” 

“Hmm, I suppose I do” And more kissing. Maybe El could break through the window (quietly) and escape into the night without being noticed. They began walking again and El pressed even farther against the cold glass.

“So Lizzy, you know how i’ve been thinking about retiring?” Macey couldn’t have been much older than 30, but El knew that spies tended to retire young, as it's a high stress, high risk job. “Well a few days ago the Headmistress called–”

“No way” There was a thudding noise and El would bet money that Ms. Sutton had just tripped on a stair.

“Turns out the head of security is retiring after this year, so in 2 weeks the position will be available” Macey continued, “I think I’m going to take it”

“You mean–”

“You are looking at a future full time Gallagher academy staff member” Macey had barely finished speaking when Ms. Sutton made a very high pitched noise that could only be described as a squeal.

“It will be just like old times!”

“Maybe Bex could come snore in the corner for a few days, _then_ it’ll be just like old times” El took a few seconds to process the fact that Rebecca Baxter, the single _coolest_ person alive, top MI6 agent, known for sneaking into the pentagon without raising a single alarm, snores.

Ms. Sutton snorted “Okay, maybe not _just_ like old times”

“I don’t know, if you really want I could call her and record some snoring, maybe Cam could contribute some sleep talking” Macey teased, they had finally reached the top of the stairs and El held her breath while they walked past, casting a shadow over the small crack in the curtain, but they didn’t stop walking. El gave it a few seconds before leaning forward far enough to see out into the hall, where they were still talking.

“Sweetheart, I love you, but if you do that I will ask Rachel for a new room assignment” They were nearly out of sight and El mentally prepared her best escape route. It would be stupid to go past Ms. Sutton, so she would have to get downstairs as quickly as possible and take a different stairway back up.

“But then how will I show you how much I missed you?” Macey pulled Ms. Sutton around the corner and El began to count backwards from 100, resolutely ignoring any sounds from the teacher hall.

“One second Mace,” El had just reached 58 when Ms. Sutton walked back into the hallway “By the way El, I saw you. Go back to bed”

 _Fuck._ El looked out from the curtain to see Ms. Sutton standing in the middle of the hall staring right at her hiding place “Sorry, Ms. Sutton!” The voices followed El as she raced down the stairs.

“Goodness, the girls seem to forget that I am a trained spy” Liz muttered, leaning back against Macey's chest.

“You know babe, that was kinda hot” Macey nudged her nose against Liz's neck.

"We are going to be the talk of the school tomorrow" It was supposed to be a complaint, but Liz couldn't keep a straight face, sighing when Macey placed a kiss on her cheek.

Macey hummed in agreement "I can't wait"

**Author's Note:**

> i am very passionate about liz and macey becoming sappy gallagher staff its what they deserve!!! el was a filler name but its staying bc i'm uncreative and it grew on me. 
> 
> fun fact this fic almost had a section in which someone, probably anna bc thats one of the only side character names i remember,, mentioned to liz the fact that 90% of the student body is in love with joe solomon and she immediately went to macey like "what the fuck he's a TEACHER and he's so OLD!!" 
> 
> it was cut for a 2nd zach scene bc i cannot count and accidentally outlined 6 boy scenes, but it's important to me that you know it existed bc it brought me joy even tho it would've been utterly pointless
> 
> as usual comments and kudos are nice!! find me on tumblr [@musicals-musicals](https://musicals-musicals.tumblr.com/) i'm not sure if i'm going to make a post for this but if i do it'll be pinned at the top!


End file.
